Michael Gove has entered the seemingly endless Tory row over Europe by admitting he would vote to leave the European Union if a vote were held today.

As David Cameron braces himself for junior ministers to rebel and support a pro-referendum revolt against the government's legislative programme, the education minister said Britain dropping out of the union would bring "certain advantages".

Gove's intervention has been seen as unhelpful by some Conservative party officials who are in the midst of ensuring that this week's expected vote on an amendment to the Queen's speech does not become a vote on Cameron's authority.

About 100 Eurosceptic MPs are expected to support the amendment, which expresses regret that the Queen's speech did not contain a paving bill for a referendum – an absence that has left many disillusioned and angry.

On the Andrew Marr Show, the BBC's deputy political editor, James Landale, asked Gove whether he endorsed quotes attributed to "friends" in October saying he would vote to leave the EU if a referendum were held now.

"Yes, I'm not happy with our position with the European Union. But my preference is for a change in Britain's relationship," said Gove. "My ideal is exactly what the majority of the population think, which is that the present situation is no good, to say that life outside would be perfectly tolerable.

"We could contemplate it, there would be certain advantages. But the best deal for Britain and Europe is for Britain to lead the changes that Europe needs."

"Some of my colleagues are very exuberant and want to let off steam. That is fair enough. My own view is let the prime minister lay out our negotiation platform, make sure that he has a majority, which I'm convinced he'll secure at the next election, and let's have the referendum then," he said.

"I am going to abstain because while I believe that while we absolutely need to have a referendum at some point in the future, it is not appropriate at this stage and also, in a way, it is an exercise in letting off steam because we can't have a referendum bill because we are in coalition," he said.

Cameron has tried to limit the damage by allowing backbenchers a free vote while ministers are asked to abstain. On Friday, his aides were saying the prime minister was even contemplating voting for the amendment, but this idea had been abandoned by Saturday.

At least two parliamentary private secretaries, who are aides to ministers, are ready to support the amendment, it was reported on Sunday.

A number of Labour MPs are expected to support the amendment, too. They include Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, John Cryer, MP for Leyton and Wandsworth, and Kelvin Hopkins, the member for Luton South.

Tory MP John Baron, who organised a letter signed by 100-plus Tory MPs last year calling for legislation and tabled the amendment after Cameron ruled it out, said without it the referendum pledge was "credible … but it is not yet believable".

The amendment is expected to be selected for debate by the Speaker, John Bercow, in Wednesday's debate on the legislative programme.

Conservative unrest over the European issue has been inflamed by the electoral success of the anti-EU UK Independence party and Tory grandees such as the former chancellor Lord Lawson advocating withdrawal.

The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, on Saturday reiterated his opposition to the referendum promise, saying it would damage the UK's national interest and strongly backing British membership of the EU.

"It is wrong now to commit to an in/out referendum and have four years of uncertainty and a 'closed for business' sign above our country," he said, accusing Cameron of "flailing around".

The shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, however, insisted the opposition should not "set our face against" a referendum.

He told Sky News's Murnaghan programme: "I think [a commitment to a referendum] is the wrong thing to do now, but I don't think we should set our face against consulting the British people. I don't think we should say anything which gives the impression we don't understand their concerns.

"But I think if we were to answer the question by saying maybe in two years' time, we play the same destabilising political, tactical short-term game … [that)] is making David Cameron look like he's not really fit to be prime minister at the moment."